In My Life
by KnockturnAlly
Summary: A tragic event happens in Draco's life. Someone he loves dies. Will he be able to get over the death, or will it forever haunt him? However, there is one person willing to help him, but will he let that person help? D/Hr
1. Life Is Short

**In My Life**

**So this is my new story, In My Life. I haven't wrote a Harry Potter one in a while (and last time it was a crossover which I am probably not going to continue) so bare with me if it is a little OOC or something. Also I am from America, so I don't know the British slang terms. But I will try my best.**

**Also as you start to read the first few chapters will sort of follow the stages of grief. It's not going to be a theme of the fic, it's just how I felt to write it. Plus you get to see more of Draco's inner thinkings and more of how I envision he is inside when there are no stupid evil-y people pushing him to commit crimes.**

**Lastly I want to thank Trilogy of Five for living through all my questions and helping with stuffs. She doesn't have any stories up yet. But I keep pushing her to upload them. So be on the lookout for them!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would be out with Tom Felton not sitting here writing this.**

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**Chapter 1: Life is Short**

_Sitting in a hospital waiting room is never fun. It's not fun for anyone, whether you are a muggle or a wizard. No matter what you are there for, you never want a doctor or healer to come out with a somber face. Everyone hopes for the smiles. The smiles mean their loved ones will be okay._

There was a blonde man sitting in the far corner of the waiting room, away from all of the people. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees. His long fingers were constantly running through his platinum blonde hair, and his pale gray eyes were staring at the ground. You could tell just by the sight of him that he was doing a lot of thinking, the kind of thinking that no one wants interrupted.

The same thought ran through his head over and over. The thought of how he ended up here, in the waiting room of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

-.-

_He had been in his study when he heard the sound of a small explosion. Chuckling, he thought he would go check on his wife, Astoria. Astoria, was in the process of creating a new potion, so these small explosions were starting to become regular in their house. He glanced down in the small bassinet that sat by his desk._

_Smiling, he looked into his son's eyes, which were the same pale grey as his own. "I'm going to go check on mummy. You wait right here." He said to the baby._

_Walking out of the door and going down the hall, he made it to his wife's 'lab', as they liked to call it. It was really just an extra bedroom the house had that they didn't need. Opening the door, he knew immediately that something was wrong. He didn't see the smiling face of his wife looking up from the cauldron._

_It's what he did see that scared him the most. He saw a foot protruding from the side of the desk, it looked as though it was twisted at an impossible angle. He ran to the other side of the desk to find his unconscious wife._

"_Astoria! Astoria! Wake up! Wake up, darling! Wake up!" He yelled while shaking her._

_Not knowing what to do, he pulled her out of the room, just in case there were fumes that she should not be breathing in. He ran into the study and grabbed his son. He apparated out of his house and arrived at the manor._

_He set the crying infant down in the crib that was set up just for him. No one liked to feel as though they were being shoved through a straw, so it was understandable as to why the baby was crying._

_It was then that a woman with blonde hair, very similar in appearance to the two males in the room, entered._

_The man turned to her, "I need you to watch him for a little bit." Was all he said before aparating back to his home. _

_He grabbed his wife's hand and apparated to the emergency section of St. Mungo's._

"_Help! I need help!" He yelled. And a wizard wearing a white set of robes rushed over. "It's my wife. I think she was involved in a potion accident. Please say she is going to be okay!" __He looked at the Healer pleadingly.__ "You have to tell me she is going to be okay."_

_The Healer looked up at the man. "I have to take her now, so you have to let go." He said._

_Once the healer was gone, the man was escorted into a waiting room._

_-.-_

It had been three hours. Three hours since he brought her here. Deep down he knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to believe it. He believed that they were taking their time, making sure she was okay before they came and got him.

"Draco Malfoy."

The blonde man's head snapped up when he heard his name being called. He got up and walked with the healer.

_There are five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance._

_Denial, the feeling of this isn't real. I am going to wake up soon from this and it will all be a dream. If only life worked like that._

Draco stood in the Morgue of the hospital, looking at a the lifeless form in front of him. He had seen dead bodies before, there were many of them during the war. But this one was different.

He stared at her. Her flowing chocolate brown hair was in a knotted mess all around her. He remembered that very same hair always being kept neat and smooth. His eyes moved to her face. He looked into her bright brown eyes that used to have so much life in them, now staring up at the ceiling coldly. Her lips, that always had the perfect color of lipstick on them and continually in a smile, now were dull and in a frown.

The Healers were trying to tell him that this was his Astoria. His wife that he had been with for six years and married for two of those years.

Draco wouldn't believe them. It couldn't be her. Astoria was so full of life.

Finally he heard the door open. Looking up, Draco saw a Healer, the same one who had brought him to this room. Only knowing him for five minutes, Draco already decided that he didn't like him. It was all based on where the person took him and what he told Draco. The Healer had taken him to see his wife and had informed him that his wife was dead. Shaking the thought from his head, Draco knew it wasn't Astoria, it couldn't be. He didn't accept the fact that his wife was dead.

"Mr. Malfoy, visiting hours are over." The Healer informed him.

This made Draco wonder how long he had been standing here staring at a corpse.

"We need you to leave. Besides you probably have funeral arrangements to make." The Healer said as softly and kindly as he could, given the delicate situation.

Draco didn't look up, he could feel his finger nails digging into his palm. He was trying to refrain from hitting the innocent Healer. After all it wasn't the Healer's fault that he didn't know that this couldn't possibly be Draco's wife.

Turning around, Draco left without a word. He could have gone to Malfoy Mannor. That is, if he wanted to be constantly bothered by his mother. He also could have gone to the house he and Astoria shared, but for some reason he didn't. Deep down, Draco knew that Astoria wasn't going to be returning to their house tonight.

So Draco checked into a hotel. He needed to be alone, alone with his thoughts.

-.-

_Anger, the stage of walking around wondering why it happened to you. Why you can't have the life you want, the one where everything is perfect. In life, not everything can be perfect._

Draco woke up in an unfamiliar bed, alone. That was when all of the memories came rushing back to him. He knew that the woman he had seen in the morgue the day was in fact his wife. Draco realized that it had been Astoria, it didn't mean that he had accepted it. He was angry at the world for taking her from him. After all, they had only had a short amount of time together.

Pulling himself from the warm bed, Draco got into the shower. He couldn't stay in this room anymore. He had to go out into the world.

Pushing open the doors to the hotel, Draco was greeted by the real world. He wasn't sure where to go. He quickly decided he wasn't going anywhere in the magical world. Everyone had probably already heard about the tragedy that happed to Draco Malfoy. He didn't want to see everyone's looks of pity, he figured it would make him more angry.

He walked around London a while, just wondering. But every time he saw a couple holding hands, his anger level would rise. Why could they have a perfect life when the love of his was just taken from him? He was always told that life wasn't fair, especially by his father. But he didn't want it to be fair. All he wanted was his Astoria back, and his normal life.

Draco couldn't take it anymore. He walked into the next store he could. It happened to be a muggle coffee shop. He didn't like coffee, he never had, but he ordered one anyways. It was just something to keep his mind occupied so it wouldn't stray to the events. Draco didn't even know what he ordered, he just took it and turned around to sit down. He found a secluded spot in the back of the café. After sitting there for only ten minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. There were just as many if not more couples in the building then there were outside on the streets.

He got up and pushed his way through the crowd. He was almost out of the cramped shop when he hit something hard. It was hard, yet warm and soft. He knew he hit a person. But that person made him spill his coffee down his front. As if he wasn't having a bad enough day. Looking up he spotted a familiar face. A face that he hadn't seen in eight years.

"Watch where you are going, Granger. This disgusting brown liquid is hot." Draco said in a low growl. He was proud of himself for not yelling at her. As much as he wanted, he also didn't want to create more a scene then they already had.

Hermione Granger looked up at the pale cold face she hadn't seen in years. Even though his voice was full of anger and spite, she could see the hurt in his hard gray eyes. Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Draco Malfoy, who was at one time her sworn enemy. "I'm sorry, Draco, it was an accident. I can buy you another one."

"I don't take charity, especially not from a muggle-born like you and I don't like _coffee_. I never have and never will. I was just leaving anyways." Draco made a point to say coffee like it was the most foul word in the entire dictionary. Without another word he left the coffee house.

Hermoine stared at the door where Draco had just left. She couldn't believe she ran into him in a muggle café. From that brief interaction, Hermione could tell something had changed in Draco. Maybe it was his eyes, or maybe it was because he didn't call her 'Mudblood'. But she knew there was a story behind the hurt, sad eyes that she had just seen. But she wasn't sure what yet.

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**In case you were wondering the title for the fic is from The Beatles' song 'In My Life'. And the title for the chapter is from Butterfly Boucher's song 'Life is Short'. Not all chapters will be song names, but probably quite a few… What can I say, I love music. So sue me (actually don't because I have no money, you wouldn't get anything out of it)**

**Just a little background: Everything that happened in the last couple of books has happened prior to this story. Except, Fred is alive. But Tonks and Lupin are dead (sad but not everyone can be alive, plus I like Fred more). Also Lucius is locked up in Azkaban and had received the kiss, so he is as good as dead.**

**I promise to keep my Author's Notes to a minimum for the rest of the fic!**

**Review please!**


	2. Back Here

**I hope everyone liked the first chapter. Here is number two. I am still going through the stages of grief with Draco. And to start with he is still in Anger.**

**Disclaimer: Me: "Good News! I own Harry Potter! Now I can finally make Hermione and Draco get together." J.K. Rowling: "Think again, crazy fanfiction writer. Think again." Me: "Damn!"**

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**Chapter 2: Back Here**

Walking out of the coffee shop, Draco decided that he needed something stronger. So he went a few blocks over, and entered a Muggle bar.

In his entire life, Draco had only had Muggle 'liquor' two other times. Both times were just to make fun of the Muggles, and how their drinks didn't amount to much.

Sometime later, Draco sat alone at the bar, staring at the bottom of his empty glass. He had already asked for another, but the bartender, Leo, wouldn't give it to him. Even though Draco knew the bartender was only doing his job and looking out for the well-being of his customers, Draco still fought him.

So eventually, Draco was thrown outside of the bar. He could barely stand up, let alone walk. He knew he shouldn't have gone to the Muggle bar, but Draco had wanted something to calm the rage inside of him. But the alcohol seemed to have the opposite effect. Each drink kept reminding him about everything that had happened, and each drink brought up more anger and more fury.

Draco found himself sitting in a deserted alley, in a not so good part of London. Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed his wand and apparated to Malfoy Manor. He knew he shouldn't have gone there as soon as he landed. Luckily he made it to where he wanted without splinching, because apparating while intoxicated is dangerous. Draco didn't want to risk it a second time. He stood up in the living room of his childhood home. Well, he stood with the help of the couch. He maneuvered his way to his old room, walking very slowly since the alcohol was still having effect on his reactions.

Eventually he made it to his destination. He spotted the bed across the room, stumbled over, and fell onto it. Draco was almost asleep before even hitting the pillow.

-.-

Draco awoke the next morning to the sound of a screaming baby. Groaning, he shoved his head under the pillow.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Narcissa Malfoy yelled at her son. "You show up unannounced, leave your two month old son, and show up two days later drunk!"

Narcissa quickly quieted down Scorpius and sat down on her son's bed. "I heard about Astoria. Imagine my surprise when I saw Peony Parkinson in Diagon Alley and she started asking me how you were coping with the loss. I was shocked that my own son didn't even tell me. But when you didn't come home, that's when I got worried. I know this is hard, but you should be around family." She waited a few more minutes for a reply from Draco, but gave up when she heard soft snores coming from underneath the pillow.

-.-

The next time Draco woke up it was almost two in the afternoon. He groaned as he sat up in his childhood bed. His head was pounding, his mouth felt like he had just eaten a bag of cotton balls, and his eyes were sensitive to the light that filtered through the gap in his curtains. All of these hangover symptoms had reminded him of why he shouldn't drink Muggle liquor. It also reminded him of what had happened in his life during the past couple days. Draco tried to shove it to the back of his mind, but couldn't fully manage. He walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen where he got a glass of water to help fix the cotton mouth.

"Good afternoon, Draco." Narcissa said from the doorway.

Draco looked up at his mother. She was holding Scorpius, his son. As Draco looked at Scorpius he could feel many emotions. He felt happy to see his son, sad because his son would never know his mother, and most of all, anger. Anger because when Draco looked at Scorpius, all he could see was Astoria. He could see Scorpius smiling in Astoria's arms. He could envision Astoria singing softly to the little boy while trying to get him to sleep. He remembered the first memory of Astoria holding Scorpius while at St. Mungo's. Draco snapped out of his thoughts when his mother spoke again.

"I thought we could spend time as a family today. You haven't seen your son in a while." Narcissa said holding Scorpius out to Draco.

"Sorry, Mum, I have to go to the hospital and get things sorted." Draco said to his mother without so much as a glance at her.

He didn't say another word. Draco walked back up the stairs, grabbed his coat and apparated out of there. Once he landed in the back alley of Muggle London, Draco had no idea where he was going to go. He decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to go to St. Mungo's like he had told his mother he was going to do. He felt as if he needed to double check that it really was Astoria lying in that morgue.

Since he wasn't that far from St. Mungo's, Draco decided to walk. The walk helped Draco clear his head, so by the time he had reached St. Mungo's his anger level had dropped. It hadn't dropped much, but enough.

_Bargaining, when you try to negotiate. 'I will give you anything if I can just have more time with them.' If you are willing to give up everything, why can't you have just this one thing in return?_

The walk wasn't long and Draco found himself in the same morgue he had just been in two days earlier. The same cold little room, filled with dead bodies. He was shown over to the correct table, where Astoria laid. The Healer who was in the room, left silently so Draco could be alone.

Staring down at the stiff body that had once been his wife, Draco broke down. He didn't even have to hardly look at her, he just knew it was Astoria.

That's when the tears started rolling down his cheeks. He couldn't hold himself together anymore, and Draco was ashamed of that. If only his father could see him now. Lucius would tell Draco to quit crying. The crying made him a disgrace to the family, because a Malfoy man does not cry.

All Draco wanted was his son to at least remember his mother. He wanted to have just a few more years with Astoria. Hell, he would even take a few more weeks, or days, or even minutes.

Grasping the table for support, Draco continued to let the tears fall. He glanced down at the body in front of him. The body that he had gotten so used to wrapping his arms around. The body that held their son for nine long months.

He couldn't take it anymore. Draco had to get out of there. He looked down one last time, and placed on last kiss on her forehead, then apparated.

When he landed in the living room of his house, the house that he had shared with Astoria, his legs couldn't support him anymore. He fell to the ground, sobbing.

Draco didn't want this house if Astoria wasn't there to share it with him. He didn't want his job if he couldn't vent to Astoria about his days. He didn't want his life without Astoria there. He would give it all up for Astoria. He would live in a bloody box, if he could just have her with him.

He was contemplating getting up and finding somewhere more comfortable when he heard a knock at the door. It was soft and cautious. He stood up quickly, too quickly and got a little lightheaded. Shaking off the feeling, Draco looked at his appearance in the hall way mirror. The tears had stopped, thankfully, but if the person who was knocking looked at him closely they would be able see that he had been crying.

He was just about ready to decide if he wanted to open the door or not, when the person knocked again. This time the knock came with more vigor. He yanked the door open and stared at who was on the other side, not believing his luck.

"Granger?" He said not believing the Muggle born, and his sworn enemy, was standing in his doorway.

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**Oh! Why is Hermione at Draco's place?**

**But you will find out why Hermione is there in the next chapter. Well it will explain it a bit better I guess.**

**Also Peony Parkinson is Pansy's mom, in case you all were wondering.**

**Now REVIEW!**


	3. Fallin' Apart

**Now time for chapter three.**

**This chapter is set a little bit before the end of the last one. Pretty much we see Hermione's Point of View around the same time that Draco went to see Astoria for the second time.**

**Disclaimer: My birthday just passed and I got a lot of great presents including; lotion, a shot glass, and a really awesome ring made out of pure Black Hills Gold. One thing I didn't get was Harry Potter. Therefore I do not own it.**

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**Chapter 3: Fallin' Apart**

Hermione sat in her office going through paperwork. It was the one part of being a Healer that she didn't like. And being the head of the Department of Magical Emergencies gave her even more paperwork. She couldn't focus on her work today. Usually no matter how boring it was, she still managed to focus on it. But today all she could think about was Draco, and their accidental run-in the day before. Sighing, she shoved the thoughts from her mind and continued trying to do her job.

All Hermione ever wanted to do was help people. Harry and Ron had gone on to become Aurors. But Hermione had no interest in catching the bad guys. She wanted to help everyone. To give children acid pops to make them feel better after a bad appointment. She wanted to help the elderly live a few more years. So she went to school to become a healer.

It was the next piece of parchment that made Hermione gasp. Or rather it was the name, Astoria Malfoy. She skimmed the paper and found one word that shocked her more: deceased. It suddenly all fit. Why Draco was at the Muggle café. Why he was so angry. And why his eyes were full of hurt and sadness. He had just lost his wife.

Hermione looked up at the clock that hung on the opposite wall of the office, it read 4:30. That meant only thirty minutes was left of the work day. She looked down at the paper in her hand and read the rest of it, learning what happened on the fateful afternoon. Astoria's death was caused by a potion incident. Hermione learned of the two month old boy who would never remember his mother.

She must have gotten lost in thought, because Hermione was suddenly startled by the loud chiming of the clock informing her it was five o'clock. She sprang up from her desk, grabbed her purse, and walked as fast as she could to the Apparatation point. She had forgotten all about the paperwork that was left in her office. She had forgotten about going over to Harry and Ginny's and celebrating the almost birth of their second son. She had also forgotten about Ron, who was standing in the lobby waiting for her and who was there to pick her up.

Standing in front of a door, Hermione didn't know what she was doing there. She had apparated there with the destination clear in her mind, just like she was taught in Apparation classes. But once she was there she had no idea what she was doing.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione turned her attention back to the door. She raised her hand and knocked, figuring since she was already here she may as well help. Or at least try and help. She wouldn't be Hermione Granger if she didn't least try.

After waiting five minutes and getting no answer, she knocked again. This time it was louder and with more force. After a couple seconds she could hear someone moving on the other side of the door.

Draco appeared in the doorway, and Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. His normally pale face was red and blotchy. There were tear stains down his cheeks, and his eyes were blood shot. It was clear that Draco Malfoy had been crying. However, there were no fresh tears flowing from his eyes.

"Granger?" Draco said, his voice full of disbelief.

"I heard about what happened and I wanted to see if you were doing okay. Well, of course you aren't okay. I'm sorry, this wasn't really planned. I should have brought some food or something." Hermione rambled on.

"Do you want some tea? I was just going to make some." Draco asked while stepping aside to let Hermione in. He wasn't sure why he did it. He just did.

Hermione was probably the most shocked at Draco's gesture. But she walked into the house anyway. Besides, it looked like he needed a friend.

-.-

They sat at Draco's kitchen table, not saying a word. Hermione was staring down into her mug which was still full of tea. Draco, whose cup was also still full, was staring out the window.

Hermione wasn't exactly sure why she was at Draco's. It's not like they were friends. They never had been.

Just then a large black owl swooped in and landed in front of Draco. He turned his attention from the window to the bird. Draco had recognized it as his mother's owl. He untied the letter from the leg, gave the owl a treat and watched as the animal flew away from the house.

Hermione watched as Draco opened the letter with slightly shaky hands. She observed as he read the letter quickly and silently. Draco stood up so fast that his chair fell over.

"Excuse me." He muttered before storming out of the room with the letter clutched in his hands.

Hermione stayed seated at the table for fifteen minutes. She figured she would give him his space. Five more minutes had passed, and by now Hermione had finished her cup of tea. She wasn't sure why but she got up and walked around the house. She walked in the general direction that Draco had stormed off to over twenty minutes ago. As she exited the kitchen she found herself in the dining room. She chose a door on the opposite side of the room, and entered the family room. There were elegant couches, she expected no less from a Malfoy. But off to the side she saw a few toys and a couple seats that were there more for comfort rather than looks. She had also found an ornate bathroom and a small spare bedroom. After not finding him on the ground floor, Hermione walked up the stairs.

She opened the first door on the landing and found a room full of books, a perfect room in her eyes. In the middle of the room, near the back wall sat a desk. It looked like someone was hard at work, but left momentarily to use the restroom, because there was paper was strewn everywhere. Deep in Hermione's brain she knew this was where Draco sat when the 'accident' happened.

She walked out of the room and closed the door quietly. She went into the next room. The room was painted green with hints of silver. In the middle of it sat a black crib. She knew this was the two month old boy's room, the little boy that would never get to know his mother. Hermione struggled to hold back the tears. She got out of there quickly and closed the door. She leaned her back against it and took a few deep breaths until the feeling in her chest subsided.

She tried the door across from the baby's room. She opened it and didn't even dare go in. It was a potions lab. The caldron was still sitting on the table with a potion in it. There was some black soot around the base of it. And papers were on the ground, some singed around the edges. She knew that in this room was where Astoria had died.

Just as Hermione was about to turn and close the door, wanting to forget seeing the room a gruff voice came from behind her.

"What are you doing in there? You don't belong in there. Stay out of that room!" Draco yelled as he pushed Hermione out of the way so he could grab the handle and slam the door shut. "Get out of my house, Granger."

Hermione had never seen Draco so angry. She could see it all through his eyes that he was, in fact, livid. She pushed her way passed him, ran down the stairs, grabbed her purse and wand and apparated to her flat.

-.-

Draco couldn't believe that mudblood had the audacity to even open that door. He hadn't been in that room since he had to drag Astoria out of it. And he wasn't planning on entering it anytime soon.

He stared at his mother's letter, reading it over again.

_Dearest Draco,_

_I am hoping you get this soon. The Greengrasses, as well as other people are wondering when the funeral will be. I know you loved her dearly, so I will plan the funeral. Or else I know it will never get done. So be at the cemetery Monday._

_I will keep Scorpius, we both know you are in no state to be taking care of an infant._

_Love,_

_Your Mother_

He wasn't planning his own wife's funeral. His mum had to do it. Draco was a wreck. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he threw the letter on the floor. Draco went to the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey. He twisted off the cap and took a large drink from the bottle. He slid down the counters and landed on the floor. Taking another long drink, Draco was glad that the bottle was charmed to refill it's self every time it ran out. That way he didn't have to leave the house to get more. He could just sit there and try to drink everything away.

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**So yep, this is chapter three. Sorry for withholding it. I just wanted to get the current chapter I am writing for this fic done before posting this. And it was causing some problems.**

**Now you know what to do. I love to hear your opinions!**


	4. Blame It On

**Firstly, I want to thank everyone who reviews. I really do appreciate them. I just wish more of you would review! I like to see your thoughts; it helps me out as a writer!**

**Secondly, I am sorry with the delay, but with being in college and having midterms my writing won't be as frequent. Fall break is coming up, and I could tell you that I will write more then. But I don't want to lie, since I also have a job too, I have no idea when I can do more writing. Little by little I get it done.**

**It is time for chapter four. I know everyone is excited. Well I am.**

**Disclaimer: I own all of the movies, and all of the books… but I will never own Harry Potter. And I accept that (at least that is what I tell myself everyday).**

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**Chapter 4: Blame It On...**

Hermione landed in her living room with a loud pop. She was about to break down, but then the lights suddenly flickered on. She looked and found both Harry and Ron sitting in her living room staring at her.

"Hermione, where the hell have you been?" Ron shouted as he wrapped his arms around her. "You didn't show up in the lobby of St. Mungo's after work, and I thought something had happened to you."

Hermione mentally cursed herself. She had forgotten all about the plans she had made for this evening. Other things had just gotten in the way.

"Where were you?" Harry asked calmly, unlike Ron.

"I got caught up with work and then went with Hannah. You remember Hannah Abbott, from Hogwarts? Hannah is working at St. Mungo's now. She wanted to show me her new flat, and at that point I had completely forgotten about our plans. I'm sorry." She said quickly, hoping they wouldn't catch her in the lie. Hermione knew Ron would believe it, but Harry was a different story.

"I thought something bad had happened. It's not like you to forget." Ron said, obviously buying the lie.

Harry just stared at her, trying to figure out if she was lying. He then remembered that she was Hermione Granger, someone who didn't usually lie.

"Next time, just let us know." Harry said standing up. "Now, I have a very pregnant wife to get back to." He said before apparating out of the room.

This left Hermione and Ron alone. Hermione was deep in thought about the day's events. And Ron was standing in the middle of the room staring at her. Hermione felt eyes on her and looked up, seeing that Ron had not left with Harry.

"I'm sorry, Ron, but I am incredibly tired from work today. So I think I am going to go to bed early." She said before walking into her bed room.

After hearing a faint pop she knew that Ron had left. They had tried a relationship when they had gotten out of Hogwarts, but Hermione found out she didn't love him in that way. Ron told her the feeling was mutual. No matter what Ron told her, Hermione didn't believe him. She knew just by the way he acted around her, and how he looked at her. Hermione knew that Ron still wanted an intimate relationship with her.

Of course Hermione loved Ron. After everything that she, Ron, and Harry had been through, they were more like her family than any of her blood relatives. She just wasn't 'in love' with Ron. She never wanted to bring up the subject in fear of hurting Ron, so she chose to ignore it.

She wasn't sure why she had lied to her two best friends, her two brothers. But she knew, that no matter how much the wizarding world was accepting the Malfoys again, Harry and Ron would never understand. The relationship between Harry and Draco had remained the same after the war. It could even be a little worse.

She subconsciously decided that it was better for them if they didn't know about her going to Draco's that day. Hermione herself wasn't even sure why she went.

Walking into the bathroom, she decided that it would help clear her head if she took a bath. So she turned the faucets in the bathtub until she reached the perfect temperature, and climbed in letting the hot water relax her.

-.-

Draco woke up with his face pressed against the kitchen floor. The first thing he did was pull himself up and vomit into the sink. He knew he shouldn't have drunk so much the night before. He had lost count after the third time the bottle refilled its self. Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was noon. He wasn't sure what time it was that he had fallen asleep, but he felt like he needed more. So he laid back down on the tile and tried to fall asleep. That's when he heard a knocking at the door.

Getting up, Draco was hoping that it wouldn't be Granger again. He couldn't handle her while he was hung over. Once he jerked open the door, he was almost surprised to not find Granger standing there. Instead he found his old house mate, Blaise Zabini.

"What are you doing here, Zabini? I haven' seen you in what, two years? The last time was for my wedding to Astoria." Draco said with a little anger filling his voice.

"I'm sorry, mate, but I have had a lot going on in my life. But I heard about what happened. And I had to come over and see how you were doing. It's horrible that she was taken from you so soon, but I thought that was a chance that I could help." Blaise said honestly.

"You can't do anything. Unless you can bring her back, I don't want to see you, Zabini!" Draco said before trying to close the door, but Blaise was too fast and caught the door with his foot.

Blaise glared into Draco's smoky gray eyes, "I talked to your mum. She said you weren't doing that well, so I came to help. Help in any way that I could."

Draco couldn't take this anymore. He turned and walked away from the front door, picked up his bottle of Firewhiskey, and went to the living room and sat down on the couch. Taking a huge swig from the bottle, Draco watched as Blaise slowly walked in.

Not knowing what to say, Blaise just walked into the room and sat down across from Draco. He watched as his friend drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Any other day, Blaise wouldn't let this happen. Or he would be alongside Draco with his own bottle of firewhiskey. Blaise knew that Draco had been through a lot in the past few days.

Eventually Draco passed out on the couch. Blaise, who had ended up fallen asleep himself, woke up in the early hours of the morning to find his friend asleep on the couch. He sighed and moved Draco into the spare bedroom, using magic of course.

He turned back into the living room and laid down on the couch to get some more sleep.

-.-

The next day was Saturday, the day of family brunch at the Weasley's. Even though Hermione wasn't a 'blood' relative, she was still invited, and expected to be there. She apparated just outside the gates, due to the protection spells that Mrs. Weasley insisted upon even though the war has been over for years. Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked down the path and to the door. She was comfortable enough to walk in the house, and when she did, she felt like it was home. She could hear small explosions coming from up the stairs. Hermione figured that it was Fred and George working on their latest addition to the joke shop. She could smell the sweet scent of breakfast in the air. She could also hear the house getting cleaned little by little with magic.

Smiling, she walked over to the kitchen where she found Molly cooking the food with a little help from magic. Ginny was sitting at the table with The Daily Prophet in one hand and her other resting on her large belly.

"Hermione! It's good that you could make it. After what happened last night, I was worried." Ginny told her in a very serious, motherly voice.

Hermione shook her head, "I know Ginny. I am sorry. But I lost track of time, and I had forgotten about everything." She watched as Ginny nodded as if to say _it's okay, _this_ time_. Hermione then turned to Mrs. Weasley, "Do you need any help, Molly?"

"No, Dear, you just sit and relax. Everything is going just fine." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

Sighing, Hermione knew it was a lost cause. No matter how many times Hermione had asked Mrs. Weasley if she needed help, she has never accepted. Hermione pulled out a chair and sat across from Ginny at the table. "Anything exciting?" She asked, nodding to the newspaper.

"No, not really." Ginny said as she continued to look. "Oh! Here is something."

This got Hermione's attention. "Yes?" She said trying to prompt her friend to say it.

Ginny folded up the paper and slid it across the table to Hermione, so she could read it for herself.

_**Astoria Malfoy**_

_Astoria Malfoy, wife of former Death Eater Draco Malfoy, died on Wednesday. She is survived by her parents Henry and Delilah Greengrass, her sister Daphne Flint, her husband Draco Malfoy, and her son Scorpius Malfoy._

_There is no word yet how she died. St. Mungo's has declined to comment. A source inside the hospital tells the Daily Prophet that Astoria's body was badly mangled, perhaps due to a potions explosion, as Mrs. Malfoy is very well known for her experimentations within the Potions industry. Another source inside the hospital told the Daily Prophet that Draco Malfoy, Astoria's husband, was very reluctant to give any information, and that he seemed "sketchy" and "unhealthy" about the nature of his wife's death, perhaps pointing to evidence of his guiltiness__**.**_

_Astoria Malfoy was a graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She went on to become a potioneer and created the now popular Formositas, used to change ones appearance without wand magic._

_The funeral is set for Monday at ten o'clock in the morning at the Wizarding Cemetery near London._

"Can you believe that?" Ginny said as soon as Hermione's head snapped up. "I bet it was all Malfoy. She was probably getting to be 'too much' for him. So he offed her."

Hermione was angry by this point. Yes Draco had been a Death Eater. The key words being _had been_. He had changed sides during the war, and with his knowledge on Voldemort, the Light won quicker. It was prejudiced of Ginny to immediately think he was the one to kill his own wife. "I can assure you that that did not happen, Ginny." Hermione said quickly with a little venom in her voice.

"What didn't happen?" Harry asked, walking into the room.

Without taking her eyes off Hermione, Ginny handed Harry the paper to read the article.

"So the Fitchburg Finches creamed the Chudley Cannons. I can assure you that it did happen, I was at that match. Remember, Love?" Harry said to Ginny.

Ginny glared at him, grabbed the paper, flipped it over, and gave it back to him, so he could read the correct article.

Harry glanced down at the paper once again and quickly read the article he was supposed to, as to not upset his pregnant wife.

"Malfoy's wife died?" He asked, surprised.

Nodding, Ginny looked at her husband. "I was telling Hermione that it was Malfoy. He seems like the type of person to get bored after a while." She said with a cold hearted smile.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! I don't ever want to hear you talking like that again. Draco helped us win the war. He would not 'go off' his wife." Mrs. Weasley scolded her youngest child, while finishing up breakfast preparations. "Now, breakfast is ready. You lot sit down, and I will let the others know." She told them before exiting the kitchen.

Hermione was glad that Molly had come to Draco's defense. She wasn't sure why she was so upset about it. After all, it was Malfoy, the same person who ridiculed her all throughout school.

While sitting in her chair, Hermione watched as everyone else filed into the cramped kitchen. She noticed, probably for the hundredth time, that everyone else was paired up and with kids. There was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred, who married Katie Bell, George was with Angelina Johnson, Bill and Fleur, and of course, Harry and Ginny. Even Percy had found a woman, Audrey. This left Hermione and Ron alone. So naturally everyone thought they would be together, no matter how many times she said nothing was going to happen.

Hermione sat quietly and ate her food. She would listen to other's conversations, and sometimes input her opinion. But most of all, Hermione sat there and felt the warmth and joy of the family.

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	5. Keep Holding On

**So Chapter 5.**

**Sorry about the lack of updates, I have been trying to make some major life decisions involving my future career… but that is all taken care of now, so I can get back to writing!**

**I hope you enjoy it… and ALAS we have moved on to Depression!**

**Just so I can let you know: The bulk of this chapter was written when I was at work, on receipt tape, and with four hours of sleep.**

**But also remember that it has been read through and edited by me and Trilogy of Five.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I would have no job and no student loans. However I am a poor college student with student loans and TWO jobs. That is all I have to say about that.**

**Chapter 5: Keep Holding On**

_Depression, when you feel like you can't go on with your life. Since your loved one isn't here anymore, why should you continue on with your life?_

Draco stood outside in England's usual rainy weather. He was wearing a black suit, standing with his hands folded in front of him and his head down. There were a couple dozen people surrounding him. A large black coffin was sitting in front of all the people.

He couldn't believe that today was the day he was burying his wife. It hurt too much to think about it. It was as though this funeral made everything official.

Once it was over, everyone walked up to Draco and the Greengrasses, giving their sympathy. He hated this feeling. Draco didn't want people to pity him. He was a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake. Before the rest of the people could give their condolences, Draco turned around and walked away.

Looking back only once, he thought he saw a head with frizzy curls. He shook the thought from his mind. Why would _she_ be here.

He walked until he was behind some trees, where he grabbed his wand and apparated. Instead of landing on cold, hard floor, Draco landed on his bed, the soft warmth of it engulfing him. He hadn't been in this room since that fateful day.

Almost immediately he could smell her. He grabbed her pillow and buried his face into it, taking a deep breath in. He could smell her. It felt as though this pillow was the only thing that he had left of her. It smelled like her hair. A smell he could never describe, but one he couldn't get enough of. This brought tears to his eyes. Draco hadn't shed one tear since the night he had finally come home after learning of Astoria's death. This time, however, he was not ashamed. Draco let the tears out.

-.-

Hermione looked into the crowd of people all dressed in black. She thought it was best to keep her distance. After all she and Malfoy had been enemies all throughout school and she had never once spoken to Astoria.

Like the night she had shown up at Malfoy's house, Hermione had no idea why she was there. Once she saw it was over, Hermione turned and walked away. She quickly glanced back thinking she had seen a pair of steel-colored gray eyes looking at her. By the time she turned around, Malfoy was gone. Hermione apparated as soon as she had gotten to a secluded spot. It may have been a wizard cemetery they were in, but she didn't want to draw any unneeded attention to herself.

Upon getting back to her flat, Hermione changed out of her stuffy formal clothes and into sweats. She got a pint of ice cream and sat on her couch trying to figure out why she had gone to the funeral. Sighing, she grabbed the remote and turned on the television, without coming to a conclusion.

-.-

Paperwork. Hermione still hated that ugly word. But here she was sitting in her office and working on paperwork. By the looks of the stacks that sat on her desk, Hermione would be here the rest of the day doing the work.

It had been a few weeks since Astoria's death, but that didn't mean that it was any less from her mind. Sure there had been days that she had almost forgotten about going over to Draco's and seeing that specific room, but somehow her mind would find something that would remind her again.

She felt her stomach rumble. Hermione had lost track of time while working on the paperwork. She glanced up at her trusty clock that hung on the wall across from her desk. It told her it was nearing one o'clock in the afternoon. She figured she had enough time for a quick lunch. So, Hermione grabbed her latest book, _The Catcher in the Rye_, and headed to the cafeteria.

Once she grabbed some food, and found a secluded seat, Hermione was ready to get lost in Holden Caulfield's world. She had only read a couple of pages when two people sat down at the table next to her. Hermione frowned. She had chosen this table because no one else was near and she could read her book in peace. Turning her attention back to the book, Hermione tried to block out the noise with the words of J.D. Salinger.

She couldn't help but listen to their conversation. Hermione had never been one to gossip, usually the gossip was about her, Harry, or Ron. But today she just couldn't help it.

"He hasn't left that bloody house since the funeral. He won't admit it, but I know he needs help." She heard a deep manly voice say.

"Just give Draco some time. After all he did lose his wife." Hermione heard a familiar high pitched voice say.

Holding back a gasp, Hermione quickly glanced up. When she did, she found the owners of the voices being Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. She knew that Blaise had gotten a job at St. Mungo's but wasn't sure in which department. Obviously it wasn't in her department. She kept staring at her book, hoping they wouldn't notice her listening.

Blaise sighed, "I know, but it's not healthy for him to do that. He has one meal a day, at most. Of which is force fed to him by Twinkle. And the rest of his diet consists of firewhiskey. He hardly lets that pillow go. Almost as if he will lose his memories of her if he sets it down."

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She got up and threw away what was left of her lunch. On the way back to her office she thought about what she had just heard. The Draco she knew was strong and resilient. He would have never let his friends see him like that. And now the new Malfoy seemed to be the complete opposite of what she knew. Her mind was so occupied that she wasn't aware of where she was going, until she ran into someone. She started apologizing as soon as it happened, then looked up and saw a familiar head of red hair and a face full of freckles.

"Ron! What are you doing here?" She questioned, seeing it was her good old friend. Shouldn't he be with Harry catching the bad guys?

Ron chuckled, "It's nice to see you too, Hermione." He then looked at her and smiled. "Ginny is about to have the baby, and it was my job to find you and tell you. When I went to your office, they told me that you had gone to lunch." He said, eyeing her book. Ron couldn't believe how much Hermione hadn't changed, still carrying a book with her almost everywhere she went.

Hermione felt her eyes get wide and her mouth hang open, "What are you waiting for! We have a new Potter to welcome!" She said before taking off towards the Department of Natality. She knew the paperwork would have to wait. This did not sadden Hermione one bit.

She made her way to the waiting room with Ron not far behind. It was there that she joined Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley holding a sleeping James, Fred, and Fleur. All of the other Weasley's, Hermione guessed, were at work but would be there as soon as they could.

After less than two hours of waiting, an excited Harry came out into the waiting room.

"It's a boy!" He shouted, maybe a little too loud.

Ron stood up, smiling, and walked over to his best friend, "Congrats, mate!" He said while patting Harry's shoulder. "What's his name?" He asked.

Harry froze. He realized that in his haste to tell the family that he and Ginny had forgotten to discuss a name. Turning sharply, Harry went back into the room to figure out a new name for his brand new son.

Hermione couldn't stop smiling. She was too happy for Ginny and Harry. She waited with the rest of the family for Harry to come out with a name. After a half an hour, Hermione realized that they were probably arguing over the name, as they had been doing the past few weeks.

"Weasley family?" A Healer asked while standing in the door way of the waiting room. "The Potters are asking for you." He said before leading the six of them to Ginny's hospital room. Hermione knew she wasn't blood related to the Weasley's or Harry. But she knew she was included.

When she walked into the room, Hermione saw Ginny sitting on the bed with Harry sitting next to her. While Harry was looking up at his family, Ginny was staring down at the small blue bundle in her arms.

Harry gestured to Molly to bring James over to the bed. James, who had woken up as they were walking to the room, was unsure of what was going on. He crawled into his father's lap and looked down at the small form in the blue blanket.

"James," Harry started, hoping he was doing this correctly for he had no idea what to do in this situation. Sure, he knew how defeat one of the most evil wizards of all time. But he wasn't sure how to tell his son that he was no longer the only child. "This is your little brother. Albus Severus Potter."

James kept staring at the thing his mom was holding. He looked up to his dad, "But he's all wrinkly."

Everyone in the room laughed at the two year old's comment. Harry somehow knew that everything was going to be okay.

-.-

Draco sat staring at the fire. He was only wearing a pair of boxers. In one hand he had a bottle of firewhiskey, and in the other he clutched a pillow. Her pillow. He raised the bottle of firewhiskey to his mouth and took a large gulp.

The past month had consisted of a drunken stupor for Draco. Today everything was different. Today Draco had even more of an excuse to drink in excess. Because today marked one month since his wife had been taken from him forever.

Deciding that he couldn't bear to be awake any longer, Draco stumbled up the stairs and into his room. What had been their room. He placed the firewhiskey on the night stand next to the bed, so that it would be there waiting for him in the morning.

He pulled the pillow closer to his body and wrapped his arms around it. It wasn't until he had his face buried into it, like always, when he realized that it no longer smelled like Astoria. The scent must have worn off with how much Draco had been relying on it. Draco hated that it didn't smell like her any more. He rolled over, took a few more large gulps of firewhiskey, and then drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

-.-

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	6. When I Come Around

**I have a feeling that this is an odd chapter… Oh Well.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Christmas just passed and I wished for Harry Potter, which I didn't get. Until that wish DOES come true, I do not own it in the slightest!**

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**Chapter 6: When I Come Around**

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She looked at her clock and it read 3:47 a.m. It was a dream that had woken her. No, not a dream, but a nightmare. She tried to concentrate on what the nightmare was about. Somehow she couldn't remember it specifics. All she could remember was thinking the whole time that it was real. The last time she had this feeling was the summer after fourth year when her dreams consisted of Voldemort killing people she loved. The people were mainly Harry, Ron, or her parents.

She climbed out of bed and went to her kitchen to get a drink of water, hoping for it to relax her a bit. As she stood there she couldn't help but think about a certain someone with platinum blonde hair. Hermione hadn't thought about him in a while. Not since she overheard Blaise and Pansy talking about him. So much has been happening in the past week that has kept her mind occupied.

Putting the water on the counter, probably a little too forcibly, Hermione dashed into her room and changed out of her pajamas. She grabbed her wand and purse and walked into her living room. She became stationary next to the couch. Her mind was having an internal debate about what she had decided a few minutes ago.

Forcing the thoughts from her mind, Hermione concentrated on where she was apparating to. She felt the familiar sensation of be shoved through a small pipe.

Once she landed, she noticed she wasn't standing on grass or pavement. She could tell she wasn't on a floor of any kind. Opening her eyes, Hermione discovered she was standing on top of what appeared to be a very expensive chaise lounge. Knowing this house, it probably was a very expensive chaise lounge.

She quickly got off the furniture and clutched her wand tighter. Hermione knew she shouldn't be here at four o'clock in the morning. She shouldn't be here, period. She took a deep breath and maneuvered her way around the house. Walking up the stairs, Hermione was unsure of what she would find.

On the landing, her mind reminded her of what was behind each door, a library, a nursery, and that one room. She then realized that she had never gotten to the last door. Since she was abruptly stopped after the last room she mentioned. Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked the few meters to the last door.

She opened it and walked in. It appeared to be a master bedroom. She could see a bathroom through one of the two other doors in the room, and assumed that the other door lead to some sort of a closet. Then something she wasn't expecting caught her eye. Although she should have been expecting it. This was after all his house. Right in the middle of the bed, which wasn't made, was a full head of blonde hair sitting on top of pale white skin. She couldn't see them, but she knew that there were pale gray eyes underneath the eye lids.

Letting out a gasp, Hermione realized how wrong she was for being here. She turned around abruptly, this action of course caused her to lose her balance, and she fell to the ground with a thump. The soft quite snores that were regular in the room, abruptly stopped. Hermione looked up and saw Draco Malfoy staring at her.

"Granger?" He asked, not believe she was here.

Hermione was unsure of what to do. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here." She said before clutching her wand and apparating back to her flat.

She must have not gotten enough sleep. That or she must be going crazy. Hermione couldn't believe that she had just gone to Draco Malfoy's apartment in the middle of the night.

She lay down on her bed, hoping to catch just a little more sleep. As she was lying there, her brain wouldn't focus on sleep. After thirty more minutes, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She got up and decided to take a long hot shower before getting ready for the day.

-.-

Months have passed since the tragic incident that occurred in Draco Malfoy's life. He still almost couldn't believe that it happened. He had barely left his house. He didn't want to face the world.

Walking into his kitchen, Draco took a drink of water. Sure he had turned to alcohol after Astoria's funeral, but that had only lasted a couple months.

He walked around his house, not knowing what to do. He had quit his job at the Ministry. Well, he wasn't sure if he had quit or if they had fired him. After Astoria's death, he just stopped showing up.

He was sitting in his study trying to focus on a book. It didn't help that across the hall was the room where it all happened. Eight months. After eight months he still could go in there. Even when he walked down the hall to go into his own room, he walked as close to the opposite wall as he could.

Draco noticed green flames appearing in his fire place. Before he could even think about whom it could be, his mother stepped out of his fire place. In her arms was a small toddler with bright blonde hair and smoky gray eyes. His could tell this was Scorpius, but he was having a hard time believing it was his son. It wasn't the same infant he had left in his mother's care months ago.

"Mother?"

"Hello Draco. I hope you are well. I haven't spoken to you in a while. Well I must make this short I have a lunch date I must keep." She said as she set the toddler down. Narcissa turned around and pulled out multiple bags from the fire place behind her. "Here are his clothes, toys, and other various objects. I have them all packed. I know his room is still here with the proper pieces of furniture." She bent down and pick up the boy from the floor and handed him to Draco. "I told you I would watch him for you. But that was months ago. So here he is. I wouldn't be doing this unless I knew you could handle it." She said before stepping back in the fire place and letting the green flames take her away.

Draco stood there, unsure of what to do. He looked down at the small boy in his arms. Watching as Scorpius' eyes got wide, Draco was unsure of what was going to happen next. It was then that the little boy's eyes filled with tears and he let out a long loud scream.

This made Draco worry. He wasn't sure how to deal with this. He hasn't had to worry about anyone else for about eight months. Prior to those eight months when Scorpius would cry, Draco would just hand him over to Astoria. He knew that wasn't the best parenting, but he didn't know what else to do.

Still the boy cried, and Draco had no idea how to stop it. He searched throughout the bags. As he pulled out random items, Draco tried to figure out what would make him stop crying. Eventually he found a bottle full of milk, and got Scorpius to be quiet.

Draco knew this would be hard, but Scorpius was the last part he had of Astoria.

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**This chapter was mainly to show you the connection Hermione and Draco have. Almost like they are pulled together… like magnets! Also, you got to see Scorpius come home.**

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	7. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

**I know it's been a longer-ish wait. I'm just trying to decide how to end this fic. I have one more chapter wrote after this, and I'm contemplating on adding another one before I write the epilogue...**

**We will see how it goes.**

**Now on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I can't believe one would think I would own Harry Potter. I clearly don't.**

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**Chapter 7: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band**

Draco had survived a week. One week with his son. He was proud of himself. Sure there were times when his parenting was questionable. But he, and Scorpius, survived.

Suddenly a banging on the door took Draco from his thoughts. He opened it quickly, hoping to stop the sound before it woke up Scorpius. Finding Blaise standing in his door way.

"Hey mate!" Blaise said a little too cheery.

"Keep it down, Scorpius is asleep for once. What are you doing here?" Draco asked while letting Blaise in and shutting the door.

Blaise smiled, "We are going out. Clubbing in London. You need a break. Don't worry about the kid-"

As if on cue, Draco's fire place turned emerald green and out walked Delilah Greengrass.

"You go have fun Draco, I will stay here with my grandson." Delilah said while taking off her coat.

Draco felt as though he had no option but to go out with Blaise. It's not that he didn't want to, but he had grown accustomed to spending his nights with Scorpius. After all Scorpius was all he had left of Astoria. So Draco nodded to tell them he would go out. He left the room to change his shirt and grab his coat.

It wasn't long until Draco and Blaise found themselves in a Muggle dance club. Draco didn't understand why Blaise was forcing him to go to a Muggle club.

The music was loud, the room was hot, and the alcohol was delicious. Draco had never really cared for Muggle alcohol, he felt it took more to feel the effects. Tonight, however, Draco didn't care. Sure his missed his son, but it felt good to get out of the house and let loose.

It had been about a half an hour after they got there, and Draco was enjoying himself. This surprised him considering he was at a Muggle club. In that half an hour all Draco had done was stand at the bar and drink. He watched as Blaise would disappear every few minutes to dance with another busty blonde.

Once he finished his current drink, Draco walked out into the dance part of the club. He wasn't really sure what he was doing. However, deciding early on in the night that not thinking would be the best, Draco just let loose.

In the dancing crowd of the club, Draco could see many girls dancing alone or in partners. One girl, however, did catch his eye. She wasn't short, but not exactly tall either. She was wearing the right outfit to accentuate her womanly curves, but not enough to make her seem slutty. Her hair was in curls all around her head, it wasn't frizzy or out of control, it was just perfect. Draco seemed to think she was perfect. She was also one of the girls dancing alone.

Using his suave moves, Draco started dancing next to her. The girl moved around so she was facing him and the two started dancing together.

It was dark in the club, so Draco couldn't exactly see her face. Once in a while a light would pass, and he could see some of her features. The features weren't that bad, he decided.

After a few more dances, the two found themselves in a corner of the bar drinks in hand. Draco leaned down so his lips were right next to her ear. "How about we get out of here?" He took the woman's hand, and they walked through the club together.

As soon as they got out into the streets of London, Draco spun her around. Looking into those deep chocolate brown eyes, he couldn't get the thought out of his head that he had seen them before. Not being able to take it anymore, Draco lowered his lips to hers.

It wasn't for a few more minutes before they both came up for air. Draco couldn't remember any of his kisses with Astoria to feel like that. He felt a pang of guilt when he compared the two. Shaking it off, Draco knew that he had to move on.

Draco took a moment to glance down at the woman. He was startled to see her looking up. He was even more surprised to see he recognized the woman.

"Granger!" He yelled. His yelling didn't have as much of an impact as normal, due to the loudness of the club behind him.

He didn't say anything else, and walked away before Hermione could talk. Once he got behind the club in a dark alley he disapparated.

Draco couldn't believe his luck. The one time in over eight months that Draco had decided to get out of his house and have a good time, he runs into Granger. Correction, he snogs Granger. The first woman he kissed since he started dating Astoria, and he enjoyed it.

No. Draco Lucius Malfoy does not enjoy kissing Muggleborns. It had to be programmed into his DNA.

He arrived at his home to find his mother in law asleep in the guest room. He walked up the stairs. After checking on Scorpius, he decided what he needed most was a hot shower.

-.-

Hermione walked into the club. She knew it probably wasn't smart to go party by herself. But she felt as though she needed some time out, some time alone. She ordered her first drink, a shot of Vodka. Then followed it with a screwdriver.

She went out to the center of the crowd and started dancing, by herself. Hermione didn't care if she was the only one dancing alone. She just wanted to dance.

It wasn't long before she felt another person dancing next to her. Not really dancing next to, but more like dancing with her. Hermione just shrugged and kept dancing. She turned so their bodies were now facing each other. Moving her hips in time with the music, Hermione looked up to see if she could recognize the person she was dancing with. Hermione couldn't make out the face, but now she didn't care. Now she just wanted to keep dancing.

She felt his hand grab hers and lead her off of the dance floor. They ending up in a dark corner of the club with drinks. Hermione still couldn't see much of him, but adding the alcohol made her care even less.

"How about we get out of here." His voice sounded raspy and sexy. The type of voice Hermione couldn't get enough of.

Feeling him grab her hand, Hermione wasn't sure what to expect. Eventually she was led outside. The next thing she knew, his lips were pressed against hers.

When the kiss finally broke, Hermione looked up and was shocked to see Draco Malfoy. Before she could process any of the information, Draco left.

She had just snogged Draco Malfoy. And she liked it.

-.-

It had been weeks since that night at the club, and Hermione couldn't help but think about it. She never thought she would have these kinds of feelings for Draco Malfoy. The person who taunted her all during school. The person who called her by almost every bad name in the book.

But for some reason, Hermione couldn't quit thinking about him.

-.-

Draco woke up in his bed with a slight head ache. The head ache reminded him why he didn't drink Muggle alcohol. At least it wasn't as bad as the last hangover he had experienced from the Muggle drink. The whole night came flooding back to his head. He couldn't believe he had kissed Hermione Granger.

"Draco!"

He groaned at the sound of his name being yelled.

"There ya are mate! What happened last night? The last time I saw you, you were dancing with this fine brunette."

"Shove off Blaise." Draco said while burying his head under his pillow.

"I take it someone didn't get lucky last night, or else you would be in a better mood."

Draco sighed and climbed out of bed, "No I did not get 'lucky' last night. I came home early because I have a son to think about." We at least part of it was true. Blaise didn't have to know that the 'fine brunette' was Granger.

He ignored Blaise as he put on his clothes and went down the stairs to check on Scorpius and his mother-in-law.

Walking into the kitchen he found his son sitting at his high chair shoving some Muggle cereal into his mouth. Smiling, Draco kissed the top of Scorpius' head. For a few minutes Draco forgot all about his life and his problems, and spent some time with his son.

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**Now Review! (please?)**


	8. Hello, I Love You

**I don't have much to say about this chapter before you read it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this, plain and simple.**

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**Chapter 8: Hello, I Love You**

He looked up to the building he was standing in front of, not believing he was here. It was unclear to him why he was here. No one had told him to go to this address. No one had forced him. He was there on his own free will.

Draco walked up the stairs of the apartment building. He made his way up to the fifth floor. The floor he knew that she lived on.

Her. That one person whose name he couldn't get himself to say.

Standing in front of the door, he turned around as if to leave. But for some reason he found himself staring at the door. The door that read 5A.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. It didn't take long for her to open the door.

As soon as he saw Hermione Granger, the speech he had been planning out for the past couple weeks, the one he had been rehearsing on his way over here, had left his brain. He couldn't think. The only thing that registered in his brain was how he was getting lost in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Draco?" She said almost uncertain.

"Can I come in?" He finally managed to ask.

Hermione stepped aside and let her former class mate in. "You can have a seat." She stated while gesturing to the furniture in her living room.

Shaking his head, Draco knew he had to say this now or else he would back out.

"I have some things I need to say." Draco paused but continued when Hermione didn't say anything. "Granger, I don't know why, but I can't get you out of my head. All I can focus on is that kiss and that night. I shouldn't have liked it as much as I did. But for some reason I feel drawn to you. I have been trying to ignore it. For some reason I can't. It's something I have tried to explain to myself over and over, but I can't find the right words. I just-"

Draco stopped his speech there, and looked over at Hermione. He walked forward and closed the small gap between the two of them, and kissed her. It wasn't a sweet short kiss. It was one of those long kisses that are full of passion.

Hermione was unsure of what to do. So she laced her fingers into his hair, and started kissing him back.

Draco pulled back abruptly and stepped back. "I-I'm sorry."

Smiling, Hermione looked up at him, "Don't be sorry."

With that Draco pulled her into his arms once again.

A little while later, the pair were laying on Hermione's couch, still fully clothed. Draco was on his back with Hermione on top of him. He had his arms around her with his fingers running up and down her spine. Hermione had her head resting on his chest.

The two were content like this. They could just lay there forever. Hermione didn't have to worry about all the paperwork piling up in her office. Draco didn't have to worry about his son. Both could just lay there and let the world pass them by.

Hermione took a deep breath, "So where do we go from here?"

Looking into Hermione's chocolate brown eyes, Draco realized he didn't know the answer to her question. So he shrugged and answered, "I don't know."

"I mean are we together? Do we tell everyone? Well, I guess if we are together. I don't want to pressure you or anything. And you have Scorpius. And-" Hermione didn't get to finish her rant since Draco silenced her with a kiss.

"Hermione Granger, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tomorrow night?"

Smiling, Hermione nodded. "Of course."

Draco smiled and leaned forward and kissed the beautiful woman who was on top of him.

Eventually Draco had to leave. He knew he needed to go back to his son. But promised Hermione he would be back the next night at seven sharp.

-.-

Hermione couldn't concentrate the next day at work. All she could do was think about Draco and everything that happened between the two of them. Finally her trusty office clock chimed five o'clock, and the witch rushed home.

As Hermione was putting the finishing touches on her look, she thought she heard a noise come from her living room. Walking in, she found Ginny climbing out of the fire place.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked as she was putting in her earrings.

Ginny shrugged, "Harry has the kids for the night and I thought you and I could have some girl time. But it appears you have other plans." She said gesturing to her friend's appearance.

Feeling the blush creep up, Hermione said nothing.

"So who's the guy?"

If it was possible, Hermione's blush deepened, "It's no one."

"I know there is someone, your hair is actually behaving." Ginny watched as Hermione put on her shoes and glanced nervously at the clock. "So, he's going to be here soon. Good. I want to meet him. You know, to make sure he's right for you."

Glaring at her friend, Hermione took a deep breath. "This is our first date. I don't even know where this relationship is going. If you want to call it a relationship. So please, I will introduce him to everyone when we are ready."

Reluctantly Ginny nodded and stepped back into the fire place. With a swoosh of green flames, she was gone.

Not even a minute after Ginny left, there was a knock at the door. Smiling, Hermione pulled it open.

Draco stared at her. He was sure there could be no one more beautiful. The simple black dress she wore accentuated her body perfectly. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders. The honey brown hair looked nice in the soft curls, but Draco decided he liked it better in the usual frizzy mess.

"You look beautiful." He breathed.

Hermione smiled and blushed at the same time. "Thank you."

He extended his arm and Hermione took it. One second later they were standing in a dark ally.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, while trying to get rid of the horrid side along apparation feeling.

"We are at a Muggle restaurant. It's called The Fat Duck. I hear it is supposed to be really good. A top restaurant in London."

All Hermione could do was smile and nod, she didn't care where she was going, as long as she was with Draco. They could have gone to McDonald's for all she cared.

After a nice dinner, Hermione walked out of the restaurant with Draco. The couple walked into the nearest alley where Draco spun her around and kissed her.

Once the kiss was broken, he smiled slyly. "I have been wanting to do that all night."

Hermione giggled and pulled him into another kiss. Eventually she pulled away, gasping for air.

Draco looked over and saw Hermione with an almost evil smirk on face. It was a smirk he was not accustomed to from the bookworm. "Let's go to my place." Was all she said before grabbing him and apparating to her flat.

-.-

Hermione woke up in her bed with a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She smiled and snuggled into his grasp. She was just about asleep when she heard something from the other room. Sitting up, she grabbed her wand, threw on her robe, and went to investigate.

She opened her bedroom door and saw her living room full of light. She knew she hadn't left the light on. When she and Draco arrived, they didn't bother turning on any lights. Hell, she had apparated them directly into her room. It was then that she heard voices.

"Bloody hell Harry! That hurt. Next time we floo, I'm going second." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief hearing Ron's voice. The intruder wasn't an intruder at all, just her friends.

Stepping into the room, Hermione saw her two best friends standing near the fireplace dusting soot off their clothes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked making her presence known.

Harry and Ron's head's snapped up. "Hey, Hermione. We just thought we would check in on you." Harry said unsurely.

"Yeah, Ginny said you had some kind of a date tonight. We just thought we would be nice and see how it went."

It was then that Hermione remember Draco, who was currently naked and sleeping in her bed. She could feel the blush start to creep up. Hoping the two men wouldn't notice the blush, Hermione cleared her throat.

"Now that you two can see that I am alive, and sane. You can go. I am tired and would like to get back to sleep." She knew that the two Aurors came to make sure the man she went on a date with didn't abduct her or take advantage of her in any way.

Harry and Ron nodded and were getting ready to go back in the floo, since Hermione had wards around her apartment so only she could apparate in, when her bedroom door opened.

"Hermione?" A voice questioned.

"Bugger." Hermione said not so quietly.

Wipping their heads around, Harry and Ron saw a man walk out of Hermione's bed room with only the sheet wrapped around his waist. Not just any man, but "Malfoy?" Harry questioned.

"Hermione, why is Draco Bloody Malfoy walking out of your bedroom starkers?" Ron yelled.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione yelled back. She could see his ears turning red, and knew he was getting angry. Harry, however, had fallen silent. Almost as if he was too shocked for words. "Draco is here, because he and I went on a date tonight." She didn't really want to go into why he was standing there naked.

"Y-y-you and Malfoy?" Ron stuttered.

"Yes, Ronald. I am currently dating Draco Malfoy. You can accept it or I don't want to see you again. I know it's a change, and I know you two don't really like him. But I love him. And you need to accept that."

"You love me?" Draco said, disbelieving.

Hermione turned and faced her former foe, "Yes, I love you."

Harry cleared his throat. "Hermione, it's your life. As much as we would like to, Ron and I can't run your life. If you want to date Malfoy, we can't stop you. I will support you, but I don't want to see any couple stuff."

Smiling, Hermione walked over and hugged Harry. "Thanks Harry. It means so much." She glanced over at Ron.

"What he said." Was all Ron could mumble out.

Draco walked forward and put his arm around Hermione. "Now if you two would kindly leave, Hermione and I have business to attend to." He said before leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

They both heard the floo kick up, signaling Harry and Ron's departure. Neither of them care, for they were lost in their own world. Happy that they found each other.

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**Now I was going to stop the entire fic there… but I got inspired and wrote two more chapters. Plus I have slight OCD and would prefer my fics to have a total number of chapters that end in 5 or 0. However, that isn't always true… But I guess it is for this.**

**So, there are two more chapters left.**

**Anyways… now Review!**


	9. Homecoming

**So, Chapter 9!**

**There is only the epilogue after this, which will be posted sometime next week.**

**I want to thank all my reviewers and anyone who added this fic to any of their alerts or favorites.**

**Disclaimer: Do you REALLY think I own Harry Potter? If so, then you are sadly mistaken.**

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**Chapter 9: Homecoming**

"Draco, I'm not sure about this." Hermione said as he guided her to the door. Their date was just a few weeks ago. The wonderful date where Hermione had gotten Ron and Harry's blessing (if you want to call it that) on her relationship with Draco.

She could feel him stopping, and looked up into his grey eyes.

"I don't want to make you do this if you don't want to, but I would love it if you would meet Scorpius. He's a big part of my life, and I want to share him with you." Draco said before leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

Hermione smiled when the kiss was over, "Okay."

Draco continued to lead her up to the doors of Malfoy Manor. Hermione braced herself for what was to come. She tried to not think about the last time she was in this manor. Trying not to remember the pain, and the maniac screams of Bellatrix, Hermione took a deep breath. She grabbed onto Draco's hand. Giving her hand a squeeze, Draco knew it would be hard for her to return to his boyhood home.

The pair stopped at the door. Draco looked over at Hermione and saw her worried look.

"I'm sorry." He said while placing a kiss on her temple. "Don't worry, love, I will be with you the whole time."

Draco let him and Hermione through the door. Hermione expected them to turn right and go into _the room_. But instead Draco steered her left. And they ended up on a bright sun porch on the complete opposite side of the house. For this, she was thankful. The house still held memories, but she found it was slightly better not being near that room.

Walking into the sun porch, Hermione found a woman with long straight blonde hair holding a little boy with the same type of hair.

"Mum, this is Hermione Granger." Draco said while bending over to scoop the toddler up into his arms.

Draco's mother stood and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger. My son has told me so much about you."

Hermione smiled, and shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Malfoy. I hope what he has been saying is all good." She added with a chuckle.

"Please call me Narcissa." The older woman corrected.

Clearing his throat, Draco stepped closer to the two witches. "And this strapping young bloke is Scorpius." He said handing the boy over to Hermione.

Draco watched as Hermione's eyes lit up while she was holding the child. He saw her talk softly to his son. Watching also as Scorpius smiled and pulled a lock of Hermione's hair, a sure sign that he liked her. Seeing all of this, Draco knew he had made a right choice on Hermione. She was perfect for him and his son.

Scorpius squirmed in Hermione arms, until she finally set him down on the floor. He stood up and grabbed her hand. Hermione watched as the little boy started to unsteadily walk away, still holding onto her hand. She figured he wanted her to follow, so she did. Scorpius stopped in the middle of the room where all of his toys were, and plopped down on the rug. It wasn't long before Hermione sat down and started to play with him.

Draco couldn't help but feel happiness as he watched his son play with Hermione.

"She's really good with him." Narcissa commented.

Nodding, Draco agreed with his mum. "Hermione is really great."

"I agree, you chose well. And I want you to know I don't care about her blood purity. That was all your father's idea and look where it got him, locked up in Azkaban with no soul."

"Thanks mum." Draco said as a reply. He didn't like thinking about his father. Lucius Malfoy only taught Draco one thing, and that was how not to raise his son.

Draco and Narcissa watched Hermione play with Scorpius for a while more, until Draco noticed the time.

"Love?" He asked getting Hermione's attention, "We need to be leaving if we want to get to your parents on time."

Hermione nodded and stood up.

Draco waved his wand and all of Scorpius' toys were packed into his bag. By the time he was done Scorpius was in Hermione's arms, and content.

The two said good-bye to Narcissa, promising to be over for supper sometime, and walked outside past the wards. Hermione grabbed Draco's arm, still clutching into Scorpius and apparated to a back alley a few blocks away from her parent's house.

Hermione turned to exit the alley and walk the little way to her parents, when something grabbing her arm stopped her.

"Are you alright, love?" Draco asked, clearly worried about how she would react to being in that house again.

Smiling, Hermione looked up into her boyfriend's eyes. "I am great. Thank you for being there with me." She said while standing on her tip toes to kiss him. Before her lips made it to her intended destination, there was a loud scream right next to her ear. "I'm sorry I forgot about you, little man." Hermione said looking down at Scorpius. She placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. Grabbing Draco's hand, Hermione led him out of the alley and down the block.

It was now Draco's turn to hesitate at the door. He had never had to meet a girlfriend's parents before. With Astoria, it was an arranged marriage. He had known the Greengrass' his whole life.

"Don't worry. They will love you." Hermione assured him before ringing the bell.

Draco didn't have to wait long until the door was pulled open by a man with slightly balding hair and a built frame.

"Dad!" Hermione greeted and hugged him, making sure Scorpius was alright.

"Hermione, it's good to see you." He said while eyeing the little boy in her arms.

Her father held the door open for Hermione walk through, then moved to stand in front of Draco, leaving him outside.

"Daniel Granger." He said with his hand out ready to shake.

"Draco Malfoy." Draco replied shaking Dan's hand.

Dan glared at the young man before stepping aside and letting him in.

"Hermione!"

Draco turned just in time to see a woman, with equally frizzy hair as his girlfriend, pull Hermione into a hug.

"And who is this?" The older woman asked while looking down at Scorpius.

"Mum this is Scorpius, Draco's son." Hermione answered while gesturing over to her boyfriend.

Hermione's mum turned and spotted Draco. "Hello, I'm Angela Granger, Hermione's mum."

"Draco Malfoy." He said introducing himself and holding out his hand for a hand shake. Draco didn't expect Angela to ignore his gesture and pull him into a hug instead. It wasn't how he was raise, but he returned it none the less.

"It's so nice to meet you." Angela continued, looking at Draco. "Hermione has said so much about you. I see you have met Dan." She said glancing at her husband. "How about us girls go and finish cooking lunch?" Angela answered turning to Hermione, "We can leave the boys alone to chat about football, or whatever it is they want to talk about."

Hermione nodded and walked over to Draco to hand him Scorpius. Scorpius, however, wanted to stay in the nice lady's arms, and let everyone on the room know.

Draco smiled, "It looks like he wants you." He could see Hermione's worried expression. "That's fine, it's clear he likes you." Draco answered, before watching her walk behind her mother and into the room he was sure the kitchen was located. He turned around and followed Dan into the sitting room.

"Would you like a beer, Draco?"

Draco nodded, and accepted the brown bottle from Hermione's father.

"So Draco, what kind of a name is 'Draco' anyways?" Dan asked staring at the blonde man.

Clearing his throat, Draco was now getting nervous. "It's Latin for dragon. And it's also a constellation. Everyone in my family is named after a constellation or star. Just like my son's name is Scorpius, which is Latin for scorpion, but also another star name." He explained the best he could.

Dan nodded, not really understanding. "Yes, your son. Hermione didn't tell me that part. What's his mother think about all this?" He questioned.

"I'm not really sure, sir. I'm a widower, my wife died just about a year ago, when Scorpius was only two months old." Draco said while watching the older man's facial expressions.

Not knowing what to say, Dan just nodded, "So, do you follow football?" He asked wanting to change the topic.

Draco shook his head, "We don't have football in the wizarding world, we follow Quidditch. But Hermione told me some of the basics of football."

"Hermione hasn't told us much about Quidditch, is that a sport?"

Launching into a detailed account of all the workings of Quidditch, Draco was starting to feel comfortable with Hermione's father.

-.-

Hermione was sitting in the kitchen with her mother. She was sat at the kitchen table entertaining Scorpius while Angela worked on the meal.

"You didn't tell us that your new boyfriend has a son." Angela stated, causing Hermione to glance up worriedly at her mother.

Hermione looked down at the little boy in her arms. "I-er- well I know your thoughts on the subject."

Angela sat down across from Hermione at the table, "It's okay. I just wish you would have told us. He seems to have taken a liking to you." She said while watching Scorpius nuzzle into Hermione's neck. "Is his mother in the picture?"

Shaking her head, Hermione looked up at her mother, "She passed away a year ago. Scorpius was two months old."

"Oh, the poor thing!" Angela exclaimed looking at the child.

The two women became silent for a few minutes. "I will just go get the guys and then we can eat." Hermione's mother said before setting the last dish on the table and leaving.

Hermione couldn't keep a smile off her face all during dinner. She was happy that both of her parents were accepting of her relationship with Draco. They actually seemed to like him. At one point during the meal, Hermione looked up and caught Draco's eyes. Her chocolate eyes met his slate. They both smiled, but were soon taken out of the moment by more conversation.

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**Review and let me know your thoughts are about the story!**


	10. Epilogue: Happy Endings

**This is officially the last chapter of this story. It actually ended up being shorter than intended. Oh well.**

**I hope you all have enjoyed this and be sure to leave your thoughts in a review!**

**Disclaimer: As sad as it is, I don't own Harry Potter and I don't get paid for any of this.**

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**Chapter 10: Epilogue: Happy Endings**

Draco woke up and glanced at the clock. He saw it was three in the morning, and noticed why he had woken up. He was cold. Throwing his arm out, he tried to find his favorite source of warmth. After a few seconds of searching, it was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Draco forced himself out of the bed.

Walking down the hall of his house, he made it to the room he knew she would be in. Once he opened the door he knew his hypothesis was correct. The curly haired brunette he had been searching for was standing in the center of the room.

"What are you doing up? Didn't he just start sleeping through the night?" Draco asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

He felt Hermione shrug, "I'm a mother, I have authority to worry about my baby." She said before turning around and kissing her husband.

Looking into the crib in the center of the room, Draco could help but smile. His ten month old son looked just like his four year old, even though they didn't have the same mother- but none of the adults thought of this fact.

It had been almost a year after the dinner with Hermione's parents that the two got married, Scorpius had been two. According to Hermione, he was the cutest ring bearer any bride and groom could want. Draco had to admit that his son did look handsome in the little tuxedo.

Another year later, a year after their wedding, Hermione had given birth to Draco's second child. They named him Castor Daniel Malfoy. Castor to carry on the Black tradition of a star name, and Daniel after Hermione's father.

Now his second son was ten months old, and finally sleeping all night. Draco was happy with his life.

Eventually he drug Hermione back to their room to sleep for a few more hours.

-.-

The next time Draco woke up he could see the sun coming through the windows. Looking over, he saw Hermione was not residing on her side of the bed like usual. He climbed out of bed looking for his wife for the second time in hours.

Draco walked into the kitchen and found his wife at the stove making pancakes. Scorpius was standing next to her, covered in flour. While his other son sat in his high chair looking at the others innocently.

"Daddy!" Scorpius screamed while getting down from the stool and running to his father. When he made it to his destination, he jumped into Draco's arms.

"Look at you." Draco said, looking down at his now flour covered shirt.

"Mummy let me help with breakfast this morning, and we got a little messy." Scorpius admitted.

All Draco could do was laugh, which in turn made Scorpius laugh.

"Scorpius, go wash your hands for breakfast. Just your hands, we will worry about cleaning the rest of you up after we eat." Hermione said with a very 'mom' voice.

Nodding, Scorpius hopped out of his father's arms and ran from the kitchen and into the bathroom. Draco walked up to his wife and gave her a soft kiss.

"Good morning, love." He said before grabbing the plate of ready bacon and taking it to the table.

Once all the dishes were placed on the table, the family sat down for a quaint meal.

"It sure was nice not having to get up every couple hours last night." Draco commented.

"Mmmhmm," Hermione answered, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy! Don't you dare pour that syrup on your brother's head!" She scolded.

Draco could tell Hermione was acting different than usual, but he knew better than to try to get it out of her. So he let it go, for now anyways.

-.-

Hermione watched as her husband put on his coat.

"And where, may I ask, do you think you are going?" She asked surprising him.

Draco turned around to find his wife looking slightly angry.

"I was going to the cemetery for a bit."

Staring at her husband, Hermione wasn't sure why he would be going there. "Why would you be going- oh." She said realizing.

"It was four years ago today." He stated.

Smiling, she stood on her tip-toes and fixed his jacket collar. "Take the time you need. The boys and I will be here waiting for you." She said before giving him a kiss.

Nodding, Draco turned around and walked out the door.

-.-

_Acceptance. When you know you can't fight it. What was done, was done. "I can't go back now, I can only go forward."_

It wasn't hard for Draco to find the ornate head stone of his first wife. Her parents made sure to give her a large and intricate one.

He stood in front of it for five minutes before he placed the tulips he had brought on her grave. Even after all this time, he still remembered her favorite flowers. He could still remember a lot of things about her.

"Astoria." He said to the head stone. "I know I haven't been here much. I should have been here more, but can you blame me?"

Sighing, he kneeled down. "I loved you, Astoria. It took a while to finally accept the death. Yes, I have moved on physically, and even emotionally, but I still couldn't accept you being taken from me.

"Even now it's hard. I will see Scorpius do something, or say something, and it will remind me of you. You should see Scorpius now. He's turned into a great little boy. But you aren't here to see it.

"As you probably know, I re-married. I did about two years ago, to Hermione Granger. I know you are probably laughing by now, wondering how I could marry the bookworm. But somehow she got to me. And now she and I have another son. Scorpius loves being a big brother, well when he isn't trying to get Castor into trouble. That boy is pure Slytherin, I tell you." He said with a chuckle.

"I loved you so much, a part of me still and always will. But my life has moved on. I guess you could say I came here for closure. Which I guess I did, in a way."

After taking a deep breath, Draco stood up and got ready to apparate. "Good-bye, and I love you." He said before going home.

-.-

Walking into the house, Draco was met with one of the best sights imaginable. Hermione was sitting on the couch with their kids in her lap, reading them a story book. It looked like the dragon book that Charlie Weasley had sent for Castor's birth.

He joined them on the couch, while Hermione finished reading. When she closed the book, he saw that both of his sons had fallen asleep to their mother's soft voice.

Draco picked up Scorpius, and Hermione got Castor. The two made their way to each of the kids' room, and put them in their beds for the nap.

With Scorpius' room being across the hall from Castor's, when the parent's left the rooms, they ran into each other.

Hermione said nothing and walked past her husband. She continued down the hall and into their shared room. Climbing into the bed, she intended on taking a nap of her own. She felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her torso.

"Is there something wrong, Love?" Draco asked, hoping he wouldn't make her any madder at him.

She shook her head. Draco almost believed it, that is, until her body broke down into sobs.

"Hermione, I know there is something wrong. Will you please talk to me about it?" He pleaded.

"I can't." She stuttered out.

"Of course you can. I'm your husband, you can tell me anything."

Hermione turned around and faced her husband. "You keep talking about how nice it is to sleep through the night, and how great our family is with two kids. That way neither of them will be lonely, but it's still a small family. And I don't have the heart to tell you I'm pregnant again. So that will mean sleepless nights and another baby." She said before burying her face into his chest.

"That's it?" He questioned. "Hermione, I love you. I love you more than anything. And this baby that's growing inside of you is a part of me and you. How could I not be happy about this? Sure it means sleepless nights, but we have already lived through it once together, I think we can do it again. I can't wait for these next few months to go by before I meet this joy. Plus three kids is still a small family, we have a ways to go before we catch up with the Weasley's."

"Do you mean that?" She asked looking up at Draco with her red eyes.

"Of course I do. I love you."

"And I love you."

-.-

Seven months later the couple welcomed Cedrella Jane Malfoy. Draco couldn't be happier.

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**So that was it!**

**I hope you liked it!**

**Be sure to leave a review, whether it's for just this chapter or the entire fic. **

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